The number of mobile electronic devices in use by people has generally increased in many locations. Further, the computing capability of these mobile electronic devices has tended to increase such that many of the devices have greater capabilities when compared to earlier mobile electronic devices. For example, Apple, Inc. has a line of tablet computers known as the iPad. Apple, Inc. also has the iPhone as well as other mobile electronic devices.
As the computing power of mobile electronic devices from Apple, Inc., as well as other mobile electronic device designers, manufacturers, marketers, etc. has generally increased the capabilities of these devices. For example, many of these devices may be used to print directly from the device to a printer.
Because the computing power, memory, data storage, or other capabilities of a mobile electronic device may still tend to be less than some other computing devices such as desktop computers, laptop computers, etc., the print capability provided on these mobile electronic devices may be limited in someway. For example, some systems for mobile operating system printing require printers to accept data provided from the mobile electronic device in a predefined format. Such a system can include a method of printing which uses open standards. Accordingly, such a system may not use a plurality of printer-specific drivers for each printer a user would like to print to. Rather, the printer can use a format native to the mobile electronic device. Such a system can provide for printing via WiFi from various mobile electronic devices to a compatible printer.
By using such a standardized system the mobile electronic device can print without the need for printer-specific drivers. In this way, the complexity of the print routines on the mobile computing device may be decreased and the need for additional memory or data storage for print routines can be avoided. The number of device compatible with mobile wireless device specific printing formats is generally small, however. Additionally, even as greater and greater numbers of such compatible printing devices are designed, marketed, and sold, a larger number of legacy printing systems that are not compatible may continue to be in use for many years to come.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that may allow electronic devices (such as mobile wireless devices) that may have a standardized printing interface, to print to devices that do not communicate using the mobile wireless device standard printing interface.